Wednesday, January 30, 2013

After doing a lot of research and going through many debates on the topic and talking to people a lot more mature and a lot older than I am I decided one day to go through the Bible and see what actually had to say about this "hot topic". Just so it is stated up front, I personally believe that everyone should be allowed the right to marry whomever they want without being discriminated against by any group of people. If the LGBT community doesn't vote on straight (I refuse to use the word traditional) marriage, then why do we get to vote on their marriage? Inequality at its finest, folks.

Anyways, these are my humble findings.

Jesus NEVER said anything about same-sex relations

The Jewish prophets NEVER said anything about same-sex relations

There are only 6 or 7 verses in the Bible that address homosexuality, and none of them address homosexuality as it is understood today.

Also, since I know eventually someone is going to bring up the man shall not lie with man thing from Leviticus, let me tell you that Leviticus (the entire book) is a holiness code written 3,000 years ago. I have signed many holiness codes in my life. Ones that state not to drink, do drugs, or have sex, a holiness code not to date till 16, and even one that said not to dance.

Anyways, back to my point. This same book also has a lot of other rules, rules I’m sure we all have broken, which OBVIOUSLY makes us sinners. Wanna know some other rules from good old Leviticus?

No round haircuts

No tattoos (your body is a temple, my friend!)

No working on the Sabbath (that includes killing insects)

No wearing garments of mixed fabrics (so, uh…go naked?)

No eating pork or shellfish

There’s even one about playing with pig skin. (Sorry, football just got outlawed by God.)
A holiness code is not law forever, it is simply a list of things people find offensive at a certain place and time. Leviticus was actually written for priests only and was mainly written so the priests of Israel would be more highly esteemed than the priests from anywhere else. Since there are not many priests around anymore, I’m assuming this code is a little archaic.

I would just like to remind the general public of some other things the Bible says about sex.

DEUTERONOMY 22:13-21 If it is discovered that a bride is not a virgin, the Bible demands that she be executed by stoning immediately.

DEUTERONOMY 22:22 If a married person has sex with someone else’s husband or wife, the Bible commands that both adulterers be stoned to death.

MARK 10:1-12 Divorce is strictly forbidden in both Testaments, as is remarriage of anyone who has been divorced.

LEVITICUS 18:19 The Bible forbids a married couple from having sexual intercourse during a woman’s period. If they disobey, both shall be executed.

MARK 12:18-27 If a man dies childless, his widow is ordered by biblical law to have intercourse with each of his brothers in turn until she bears her deceased husband a male heir.

DEUTERONOMY 25:11-12 If a man gets into a fight with another man and his wife seeks to rescue her husband by grabbing the enemy’s genitals, her hand shall be cut off and no pity shall be shown her.

Hmm…shoot. But the list continues my friends.

The Bible clearly states that sex with a prostitute is acceptable for the husband but not for the wife.

Polygamy (more than one wife) is acceptable, as is a king’s having many concubines. (Solomon, the wisest king of all, had 1,000 concubines.)

Slavery and sex with slaves, marriage of girls aged 11-13, and treatment of women as property are all accepted practices in the Scriptures.

On the other hand, there are strict prohibitions against interracial marriage, birth control, discussing or even naming a sexual organ, and seeing one’s parents nude. I choose to strictly abide by the no nude parents rule.

Also, I would just like to add in that in the last three decades alone, 1.5 MILLION healthcare professionals have been able to state, without a single doubt, that homosexual orientation is just as natural as heterosexual orientation and is caused by a combination of pre and post natal influences.

Remember that awkward time when masturbating was considered sinful? Or how about stopping sex before ejaculation so that the woman didn't end up pregnant? Those were ridiculous and were things that people came up with after looking into the Bible. I pray that one day everyone will be able to look back and say "Remember when people said the Bible prohibited gay marriage? What a bunch of loonies."

Love is love, even God knows that.

If you would like to debate this topic with me or speak to me about it, please keep in mind that while I am open to debate or conversation or comments I refuse to accept any of those three things if they are presented without respect. My opinion may differ from yours, and that's just fine. However, don't treat me less because of it.

1 comments:

Also (having spent the last month reading the entire New Testament for class):Basically all of Paul's letters state that Christians don't need to follow the laws set down in the Old Testament because Jesus replaced the "Don't" laws with two "Do"s: Love God and Love each other. He writes that by following the two a person follows the heart of the however many laws of before (And let it be noted that Paul had been a Pharisee prior to conversion, a group known for their obsession with the law and the minutiae surrounding it). There was even a meeting in Jerusalem concerning Gentiles (non-Jews, also known as most modern Christians) being converted and what of the Jewish laws they had to follow (they REALLY didn't want to have to be circumcised). They decided that, in order for them not to disgust their Jewish brothers, the Gentile Christians couldn't eat certain foods or engage in "sexual immorality" which, to me, means rape or adultery.The arguments against homosexuality in the early first century were based around the notion, common at the time, that homosexuality was an expression of an overabundance of lust. We know now that it can also involve actual love, thus invalidating Paul's occasional comment on it's wrongness.There's also possible argument from the fact that God made man and woman. God made man and woman so humans could populate the Earth. Been there, done that, we don't get married with the express intention of having children anymore.